Delaware firefighters head to Colorado to battle wildfires

The Delaware Forest Service is sending a team of 20 wildland firefighters to the Rocky Mountain region to help battle wildfires.

State officials said in a statement that the crew left Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna on Monday for Denver, where they will be pre-positioned for their two-week assignment.

The National Interagency Fire Center increased its preparedness level on Monday, reflecting increased fire activity nationwide and hot and dry conditions across most of the West.

Delaware has been dispatching a crew almost every year since 1998. Last year, Delaware sent a team to the 36,500-acre Fork Complex Fire in northern California.